70 handy things you can do on WhatsApp, from bold text and pinned messages to chat lock, polls and freeing up space. Each tip is short, with the steps. Search, or jump to a section.
✅ Checked: November 2026 · 70 tips
“Settings” means WhatsApp’s own settings: on Android tap ⋮ (top right) › Settings; on iPhone tap Settings (bottom right). Menus can differ a little between phones and versions.
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Put symbols around the words: *bold* gives bold, _italic_ gives italic, ~strike~ gives strike, and ```text``` gives monospace.
💡 Or select the words while typing and choose Bold, Italic and so on from the menu.
🧰 Text formatter: format with buttons, then copy to WhatsApp →Start a line with - or * for a bullet list, 1. for a numbered list, and > to quote a line. Wrap a short word in single back-ticks, like `code`, for inline code.
Fixed a typo too late? Press and hold your message, then tap Edit (on Android it’s under ⋮). You can edit for 15 minutes after sending. The message shows “Edited”.
Press and hold the message, tap Delete › Delete for everyone. You can do this for about two days after sending. Others will see “This message was deleted”.
Swipe right on a message (or press and hold › Reply) to quote it in your answer, so everyone knows what you’re replying to. In a group, Reply privately (under ⋮ / More) answers that person in a private chat.
Type @ and pick a name. They get notified even if they’ve muted the group (unless they turned that off).
Start a new chat and choose yourself (at the top of the contact list, marked “Message yourself”). Great for notes, links, shopping lists and photos you want to keep.
Press and hold a message › More (⋮) › Translate. The first time, your phone may download the language. You can also turn on automatic translation for a whole chat.
💡 Available in a growing number of languages and countries.
Type the words in English letters and turn them into your language’s script, then copy them into WhatsApp.
🧰 Type in your language →Press and hold a chat in the list and tap the 📌 pin. Up to 3 chats stay at the top.
Press and hold a message › Pin (under ⋮ / More), and choose for how long: 24 hours, 7 days or 30 days. Up to 3 messages can be pinned at the top of a chat.
Press and hold a message and tap the ⭐. Find all your starred messages under Settings › Starred (or ⋮ › Starred messages).
Use the filters at the top of the chat list. Tap + to make your own list, like “Family” or “Work”.
Press and hold the chat › Mark as unread (under ⋮ on Android, or swipe right on iPhone).
Press and hold a chat › Archive. Archived chats move into “Archived” at the top of the list and stay quiet even when new messages arrive (you can change this in Settings › Chats).
Open the chat › ⋮ › Search (iPhone: tap the contact name › Search). Type a word to jump to every message containing it.
Open the chat › ⋮ › Wallpaper (iPhone: tap the name › Wallpaper & Sound). Handy for telling family and work chats apart at a glance.
Open the chat › ⋮ › More › Add shortcut. One tap opens that chat straight away.
Open the chat › ⋮ › More › Export chat (iPhone: tap the name › Export chat), with or without media. You get a text file you can email or keep.
Open wa.me/ followed by the full number with country code, without + or spaces. For example wa.me/97455551234.
Before sending, tap HD at the top. To make HD the default, go to Settings › Storage and data › Media upload quality.
💡 HD uses more data and storage.
Send it as a Document (📎 › Document, then pick the photo). The other person gets the original file.
When you send several photos or videos together, you can add one caption for the whole set.
Before sending, tap the ① icon. It can be opened once, can’t be forwarded or saved, and disappears after it’s opened.
Press and hold the 🎤, then slide up to the 🔒 lock. Now you can let go and keep talking. Tap ⏹ to listen before you send it.
While a voice message plays, tap 1× next to it to switch to 1.5× or 2×.
Turn on Settings › Chats › Voice message transcripts and pick a language. Then press and hold a voice message › Transcribe.
💡 Works in a few languages, right on your phone.
In a chat, tap the 🎤 once so it turns into a 📹 camera, then press and hold it to record a short round video. Slide up to lock and record hands-free.
Tap + › Document › Scan document, then scan, crop and send.
🧰 Scan & send: scan pages into a neat PDF on any phone →Use 📎 › Document to send PDFs, spreadsheets, zip files and long videos, up to 2 GB each.
In the sticker tray tap Create (or +) and pick a photo; WhatsApp cuts out the person or object for you. You can also turn a short video into a moving sticker.
Open the group › tap its name › Group permissions (or Group settings) › turn off Send new messages for members. Perfect for announcement groups.
Group info › Group permissions › turn on Approve new members. People who use your invite link wait until an admin lets them in.
Group info › Invite via link. Share the link, or show the QR code. You can reset the link at any time to stop old links working.
In the chat tap 📎 › Poll, type the question and options. Choose single or multiple answers. Everyone sees the results live.
Tap 📎 › Event, add the name, date, time and place. People reply Going, Maybe or Not going, and get a reminder before it starts. Works in groups and one-to-one chats.
🧰 Events & replies: invitations with replies, on any phone →Group info › Notifications › Highlights: you’re notified only when someone @mentions you, replies to you, or a saved contact writes.
A Community joins related groups (classes of a school, blocks of a building) under one roof, with an announcements group that reaches everyone. Tap the Communities tab (or + › New community).
Group info › Exit group. Only the admins are told you left, not every member.
WhatsApp has no scheduling for groups, but you can write the week’s posts with pictures ahead of time, then share each one in a tap when it’s due.
🧰 Post planner for WhatsApp groups →Press and hold the chat › Lock chat (under ⋮). It moves to a hidden “Locked chats” folder you open with your fingerprint, face or PIN. Pull down on the chat list to find it.
💡 Set a secret code and the folder disappears completely: type the code in the search bar to open it.
Settings › Account › Two-step verification. Choose a 6-digit PIN. Even if someone gets your SIM or a code, they can’t open your WhatsApp without it. Add an email in case you forget the PIN.
Settings › Account › Passkeys. Your phone’s fingerprint, face or screen lock confirms it’s you.
Settings › Privacy › Last seen and online. Choose who can see when you were last on, and whether others see you’re online right now.
Settings › Privacy › turn off Read receipts. People won’t see when you’ve read their messages (and you won’t see theirs). Groups still show them.
Settings › Privacy › Profile photo (and About): Everyone, My contacts, My contacts except…, or Nobody.
Settings › Privacy › Groups › My contacts (or My contacts except…). Others must send you an invite instead.
Settings › Privacy › Calls › turn on Silence unknown callers. They still show in your call list, but your phone won’t ring.
Open the chat › tap the name › Disappearing messages: 24 hours, 7 days or 90 days. Or set a default for all new chats in Settings › Privacy.
Open the chat › tap the name › scroll down › Block or Report. Blocked contacts can’t call you, message you, or see your updates.
Settings › Privacy › Privacy checkup walks you through who can contact you, what they can see, and how to add more protection.
In the Calls tab tap Create call link, choose voice or video, and share the link. Up to 32 people can join.
During a video call, tap the screen-share icon (a phone or screen with an arrow). Great for helping parents with their phone.
During the call, tap Add (the person with +) and pick them. A one-to-one call becomes a group call.
Settings › Privacy › Advanced › Protect IP address in calls. Calls go through WhatsApp’s servers so others can’t work out where you are. Call quality may drop a little.
In the Updates tab tap ⋮ › Status privacy: My contacts, My contacts except…, or Only share with….
Press and hold their Status in the Updates tab › Mute. They won’t know, and you can unmute any time.
When posting a Status, tap @ to mention someone or a group. They’re notified and can reshare it.
In the Updates tab tap Find channels to follow news, teams, shops or creators. Your number and photo aren’t shown to the channel admins or other followers.
Greetings, quotes and announcements sized just right for Status.
🧰 Cards & Status pictures →Settings › Storage and data › Manage storage. See the biggest files and the chats using the most space, and delete what you don’t need.
Settings › Storage and data › Media auto-download. Untick photos, audio, videos and documents for mobile data (or all networks). You then tap to download only what you want.
Android: Settings › Chats › turn off Media visibility. iPhone: Settings › Chats › turn off Save to Photos. You can also change it for a single chat.
Settings › Chats › Chat backup: back up to Google Drive (Android) or iCloud (iPhone), daily or weekly. Turn on End-to-end encrypted backup so only you can read it.
Same type of phone: on the old phone go to Settings › Chats › Transfer chats and scan the QR code shown on the new phone. Switching between Android and iPhone is also possible during setup.
Open web.whatsapp.com (or the WhatsApp app for Windows or Mac). On your phone go to ⋮ / Settings › Linked devices › Link a device and scan the QR code. It keeps working even when your phone is off.
💡 You can link up to 4 devices.
On WhatsApp Web press Ctrl + Alt + / (Mac: Cmd + Ctrl + /) to see every shortcut, like Ctrl + Alt + N for a new chat. The Windows app uses Ctrl instead of Ctrl + Alt.
Settings › tap the arrow or + next to your name › Add account. Switch between, say, personal and work numbers without logging out.
The free WhatsApp Business app adds a business profile, a catalogue, quick replies, greeting and away messages, and labels for customers.
🧰 Auto-reply kit: ready-made greeting, away and quick replies →WhatsApp can’t schedule a normal message yet, but you can write it now and get a reminder to send it at the right time.
🧰 Schedule a message →Wah-Kit is independent and not affiliated with WhatsApp or Meta. Features roll out gradually and can differ by phone, country and version.